Justice League Vol 1 1

"Born Again": Guy Gardner is the first member of the latest incarnation of the Justice League to arrive for work. As each of the new members file in to their headquarters, Guy snaps off offensive and smart remarks to each o

Synopsis for "Born Again"

Guy Gardner is the first member of the latest incarnation of the Justice League to arrive for work. As each of the new members file in to their headquarters, Guy snaps off offensive and smart remarks to each of them. A brawl breaks out between them until Batman enters the room and silences Gardner with just a few words. He calls their first official meeting and tells them of his desire to keep a low profile until they establish themselves as a more cohesive team, but circumstance has other plans.

Elsewhere, entrepreneur Maxwell Lord watches the media coverage and is both delighted and intrigued.

A group of terrorists takes control of the United Nations General Assembly and holds them hostage. One of the people in the assemblage is Kimiyo Hoshi, the new Doctor Light. She uses her recently acquired Justice League signal device to send an S.O.S. The object was given to her by Lord, unbeknownst to the other JLers.

Batman receives the call and mobilizes the team with Captain Marvel and Doctor Fate going ahead to scout. The remainder take Blue Beetle's Bug to the UN to find that Fate disappeared and the rest surreptitiously sneak into the building. Batman immediately realizes that something is wrong with these so-called terrorists. The League easily defeats them, but the terrorist leader has a bomb grafted onto his chest. Batman calls the leader's bluff, leaving him alone in a room, where he kills himself with a bullet to the head.

The terrorists are actually low-rent thugs (an amalgam of former Weathermen and Black Panthers, save the leader) hired by Lord, knowing that they would be easily defeated by the Justice League. As Max watches the television footage of the affair, he gloats while holding the firing pin to the terrorist's suicide bomb.

One of the journalists featured in this issue bears a slight resemblance to an actual reporter named Connie Chung. Her name (which is only partially provided) is revealed as "Lonnie Chu...", an obvious respelling of Connie Chung.

Although it is never revealed, Maxwell Lord may have used his metahuman psionic capabilities to force John Charles Collins to take his own life. Max's ability to affect the minds of others will not be revealed until Justice League International #12.

In the Brazilian reprint (Liga da Justiça #1 by Editora Abril, 1989) the Japanese flag in the panel with the United Nations Building was replaced with a Brazilian flag.